No more red tape, property auto-mutation brings relief to Chandigarh residents

The auto-mutation of properties has brought a big respite to the residents of the city, cutting red tape and long wait involved in getting the mutations done earlier.

“I got my family transfer deed registered for a commercial booth site on July 8 and I receive a message that my property has been successfully mutated in my name the very next day,” shared Rosy Chawla. She called it a welcome move towards digital governance, making property transfers more efficient and citizen-friendly.

Pardeep Kumar Chadha got his commercial SCO site deed registered on July 7 and it was mutated in his name automatically on July 9. It was a pleasant surprise for him.

In a first, the Estate Office had on July 7 rolled out the auto-mutation system based on registered property deeds with the objective of ensuring timely, transparent and citizen-friendly delivery of services in property ownership transfer.

Of the total 75 property deeds registered with the Sub-Registrar office here from July 7 to 23, 44 properties have already been auto-mutated in the buyers’ names while the process to mutate the remaining 31 properties is under process.

“As of date, there is no pending work stretching more than seven days, within which all property registration deeds are being auto-mutated without requiring the buyer to follow any separate process,” said Deputy Commissioner-cum-Estate Officer Nishant Kumar Yadav while talking to The Tribune.

He said the initiative was launched in line with the Chandigarh Administration’s commitment to leverage technology for enhancing public convenience and administrative efficiency.

“A timeframe of one week from the date of property registration has been fixed for completing the auto-mutation following which the new ownership records will start reflecting on the online portal of the Estate Office,” he disclosed.

Sharing the salient features of the auto-mutation system, Yadav said under the new system, there is no need for manual application as the mutation is automatically initiated upon registration of the property deed, eliminating the requirement for a separate application from the transferee.

“The system ensures instant and secure data transfer between the Sub-Registrar Office (SRO) and the Estate Office through a digitally integrated platform,” he revealed.

Under the new system, every stage is digitally monitored with defined responsibilities and automatic acknowledgements to the applicant.

It has reduced the burden on property buyers by eliminating additional paperwork and visits to the Estate Office, in turn minimising manual intervention, ensuring prompt processing and enabling better monitoring.

Documents submitted during deed registration are auto-fetched and reused, avoiding duplication.

This system applies to all types of immovable properties — freehold and leasehold — falling under the jurisdiction of the Estate Office where ownership has been transferred via a registered deed.

It will be applicable prospectively from the date of system implementation while the older cases will continue under the manual mutation process.

WHAT BUYERS SAY

“The auto-mutation service has reduced paperwork like submitting affidavits and other documents to the Estate Office separately. After registration of my family transfer deed on July 11, the property was transferred in my name within five days.” — Jaswinder Kaur Sodhi

“My commercial property was automatically mutated within four days after registration. It required no additional process from my side and I got my mutation certificate while sitting at home.” — Ajaib Singh

“I found the system innovative and effective as it eliminates the need for a separate mutation application process. I bought a 5-marla house on July 11 and it was auto-mutated in my name on July 17.” — Anuj Kumar

TRANSFORMATIVE, SIMPLIFIED PROCESS: DC

“It’s a transformative step to simplify the property ownership process for the citizens, which reflects our vision of adopting a proactive and technology-driven approach to improve public service delivery. With minimal effort from the public, the entire mutation process is now streamlined, time-bound and fully accountable,” said Nishant Kumar Yadav, DC-cum-EO

Big respite from rampant ‘corruption’

The new system provides a major relief to property buyers as it not only saves their time but also ends the corruption and favouritism, which was allegedly rampant in the old system. Earlier, more than 50% of the footfall of the visitors to the Estate Office pertained to the applicants of property transfers through the manual system. It required property buyers to repeatedly visit the Estate Office to apply for the mutation with no fixed timeframe.